G.I. Joe Retro Lady Jaye
Wave 3 shared exclusive 2021.
I’d like to formally thank Hasbro for offering these figures on their website in addition to the joke of a retailer who initially had these as exclusives.
I covered this in my 1985 Vintage Joe album, but for those who haven’t read it, and for those who were no around in 1985,
Traditionally a cartoon for a toy line would pop up a year or so after a toy line proved profitable enough to pay off the labor intensive hand drawn animation. I think Transformers may have broken that mold in 1984 but the toys were already popular under their original Takara banner (See the essay in the cover art photo in my Transformers album). The 1985 Gi Joe line up was the first time the soon to be released new characters were introduced on screen before the toys shipped. This created a massive headache for me, as a kid, and I fear did some disservice to one of the new stars on the Joe team.
More than any other figure in that line up, Lady Jaye’s cartoon self strayed from the action figure. And while she was great on the Sunbow show, I fell that the difference in the ascetic of the toy may have turned off some cartoon fans. It did for me. I didn’t get a vintage Lady Jaye until I ventured back into vintage collecting in 2012. And I have to say that I really missed out. I have come to very much appreciate the vintage toy outfit. It isn’t as dashing as the devil may care wind swept hair style and popped collar look on the cartoon but I do love the one piece jump suit with the harness and cap look.
Hasbro didn’t disappoint here. I think we all knew this was the figure that we were getting but the fear was that Hasbro might go cheap on the paint apps and the new release would not look as good as the 50th (originally Concept Vault) figure. This is actually an improvement, paint wise. It seems like the flesh tone on the head is painted on. This looks so much better as opposed to that waxy look of molded skin tone plastic. Unless Hasbro found a better way to execute the flesh colored molded plastic? Either way it’s an improvement. The green on the jump suit may look a bit bright to military historians but to me it looks closer to the tone on the vintage figure than the previous release. As a MoC collector I can’t speak to the quality of the plastic. The only thing that would have made this figure even better would have been the back pack that the 25th release had, and maybe the vintage camera. I can get those accessories loose myself with no problem but as a MoC collector it would look great in the bubble with the figure.
It’s a nice figure, especially if you don’t own the 50th Anniversary release.
G.I. Joe Retro Lady Jaye
Wave 3 shared exclusive 2021.
I’d like to formally thank Hasbro for offering these figures on their website in addition to the joke of a retailer who initially had these as exclusives.
I covered this in my 1985 Vintage Joe album, but for those who haven’t read it, and for those who were no around in 1985,
Traditionally a cartoon for a toy line would pop up a year or so after a toy line proved profitable enough to pay off the labor intensive hand drawn animation. I think Transformers may have broken that mold in 1984 but the toys were already popular under their original Takara banner (See the essay in the cover art photo in my Transformers album). The 1985 Gi Joe line up was the first time the soon to be released new characters were introduced on screen before the toys shipped. This created a massive headache for me, as a kid, and I fear did some disservice to one of the new stars on the Joe team.
More than any other figure in that line up, Lady Jaye’s cartoon self strayed from the action figure. And while she was great on the Sunbow show, I fell that the difference in the ascetic of the toy may have turned off some cartoon fans. It did for me. I didn’t get a vintage Lady Jaye until I ventured back into vintage collecting in 2012. And I have to say that I really missed out. I have come to very much appreciate the vintage toy outfit. It isn’t as dashing as the devil may care wind swept hair style and popped collar look on the cartoon but I do love the one piece jump suit with the harness and cap look.
Hasbro didn’t disappoint here. I think we all knew this was the figure that we were getting but the fear was that Hasbro might go cheap on the paint apps and the new release would not look as good as the 50th (originally Concept Vault) figure. This is actually an improvement, paint wise. It seems like the flesh tone on the head is painted on. This looks so much better as opposed to that waxy look of molded skin tone plastic. Unless Hasbro found a better way to execute the flesh colored molded plastic? Either way it’s an improvement. The green on the jump suit may look a bit bright to military historians but to me it looks closer to the tone on the vintage figure than the previous release. As a MoC collector I can’t speak to the quality of the plastic. The only thing that would have made this figure even better would have been the back pack that the 25th release had, and maybe the vintage camera. I can get those accessories loose myself with no problem but as a MoC collector it would look great in the bubble with the figure.
It’s a nice figure, especially if you don’t own the 50th Anniversary release.